Four individuals lost their lives when a helicopter crashed into a hospital in southwestern Turkey, according to the provincial governor, who attributed the incident to heavy fog.
“The helicopter descended after colliding with the fourth floor of the hospital during its take-off,” stated Mugla provincial governor Idris Akbiyik, confirming the fatalities of two pilots, a doctor, and a staff member aboard the aircraft.
“There was significant fog,” remarked Mr. Akbiyik, mentioning that authorities are looking into the cause of the accident.
The helicopter departed in low visibility conditions from the rooftop of Mugla’s hospital, heading towards the city of Antalya, as shown in images aired by the NTV television channel.
Footage then shows the helicopter struggling in the fog several minutes post-take-off before crashing into an open field adjacent to the hospital it impacted, as reported by Turkish media.
This incident follows closely after a tragic event nearly two weeks prior, where six soldiers died as a result of two helicopters colliding during an army training exercise in Turkey’s southwestern Isparta province.
At that time, the defense ministry did not clarify the cause of the earlier crash.
